LocalBusinesses

On Dec. 10, Amazon offered a special deal to shoppers who used its smartphone app in brick-and-mortar stores: Scan certain items, and the Web retailer would give them an extra 5% off. Critics cried foul. In one tactless move, has Amazon cast itself as the new mom-and-pop business killer?

When it comes to money, it can be hard to choose between "doing good" -- say, by donating to charity -- and "doing well" -- deploying it to earn more money, say, by buying stock. But there are ways to combine both ideals, and one is by putting your money where your town is.